Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson recently flip-flopped on his stance on the Health Care Bill in Congress and guaranteed its passage by becoming the 60th vote in the Senate to avoid filibuster maneuvering and move forward on the bill.

It was an act of betrayal that is rarely seen in political circles.

In my opinion, it was fraud and bribery and extortion all rolled into one.

Nelson was offered a "Cornhusker Kickback" in order to become the 60th "Yes" vote on the Bill.

Democrats offered the ultimate bribe. Nebraskans will never have to pay for increased costs of Medicaid.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

I have been doing great and have been very busy. There were many highlights in December alone. This month I focused on doing my school tour. Being able to see each campus in detail, it gave me a better idea of how we can improve our schools and also see how students interact throughout the campus. I hope to finish all nine by next month, but so far I am very excited about the development our LACCD Colleges have been making.

On December 13th, I was apart of the Lincoln Heights Christmas Parade. The parade was eventful and filled with many participants who were important community leaders. It was well organized and I had a chance to see the whole community come out to celebrate in the Christmas spirit. I enjoyed seeing the community come out in support of the participants and to represent Lincoln Heights. There was a large turnout and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Another thing that I was honored to attend was an event at the Veterans Hospital in Santa Monica remembering the Korean War Veterans. It was an honor to be able to speak at an event which remembered our brave soldiers. Veterans truly are the real American heroes in whom we should never forget. It was amazing to see every generation of American soldiers show up to this event and have this kind of unity threading through the generational lines.

Another recent achievement was that I received an award from CAUSE (Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment) at their Women in Power Holiday Party. I was recognized by receiving the Women in Power Award, alongside several other Asian Americans who are leaders in their respective communities.

A lot of great things have been happening to me this year, and I know that the New Year will be even busier. I am looking forward to all the opportunities 2010 will present~!

1. We are going to start this interview on a serious note. You are originally from New York. You were working at the World Trade Center on 9/11. There are many New Yorkers living here in Los Angeles. Can you share with us your personal story about what happened to you on 9/11, and can you give us some insight on how it continues to shape your life to this day?

I was actually working at the New York Stock Exchange as an auditor and I was examining a firm at the World Trade Center. It started off as a beautiful day which is rare in New York. The sky was so clear and the weather was fair. I was actually looking forward to work that day and subsequently heading to a Yankee game thereafter. It was a usual day and it was my first time going on-site at the firm inside the World Trade Center that we were auditing. I took the subway from Penn Station to World Trade Center, the 1/9 train. I got off the train which exited below tower number one, which was the first tower to be attacked by the planes.

As I exited the train, a wave of people was running towards the exit out of the building. All I could think was, “What is going on?” I tried asking people around me what was going on but no one would answer me, and finally I had to literally halt someone and force them to give me an answer. He told me, “a bomb exploded in the building, we need to get out!” This really freaked me out and in a state of daze I walked slowly towards the exit unable to comprehend what was happening around me. As I approached the street, I saw bricks and paper-like material raining onto the pavement. I took a quick glance upward to see what was happening, and caught a glimpse of an object falling from the building. I tried to make out what it was and when I saw it make a sudden movement, I just turned my eyes the other way knowing that the object was actually a person. I started walking away from the World Trade Center and found safety in a building on Berkley Street as I was forced to watch the attack unfold around me. Suddenly, I saw the second plane hit with my own eyes, realizing that we were under attack by planes, not by a bomb.

At that instant, the whole building shook from an explosive sound and almost knocked me right off my feet. The experience was surreal and I could not believe what was happening. I felt as if this was a scene from an “End of the world type of movie.” I looked around and saw that people were in a ghostly state of mind, not believing what had just happened. I was soon brought to reality when a colleague who happened to see me, grabbed my arm and shook me so hard screaming, “Tina we need to get out of this city, now~!”Even though I wanted to run, the crowd was so thick because everyone was trying to find safety away from the World Trade Center. I walked all the way to Chinatown and my colleague and I were separated. I felt so alone and not a single individual or taxi cab stopped for me. I felt trapped and in that thought, a cab stopped and told me to come in. I sat inside the car and as I looked back, the first tower collapsed. I could see a white fog spread thickly over the city and come straight towards the vehicle. We made it safely outside of the city, but I was very much in a daze for a couple days afterwards.

From this experience I’ve learned one true valuable lesson. We are all trying to make something of our life and we add to the pages of our life by filling it with money or material gain. But the most important thing is that we all live for the person next to us. We only leave a legacy through creating relationships with people around us. We have to understand that we all have a story, big or small, and that every story is worth its value and place. I realize that although life is important, it is what we make of it that defines the value of our life. I wish that we would all stop trying to survive life, but instead enjoy it and live it. I am so grateful that I was blessed to learn this early on in my life and apply this to my job by constantly asking myself, “What have I done for the tax payers, the students and their families who have voted for me?”I am not the only person who lived through the tragedy of 9/11, but I know that each individual who lived through this would agree that life is too short to waste. This all sounds so cliché, but on this day I just understood what wise men in the past have said about the importance of living.

2. Tina, both you and City Attorney Nuch Trutanich became kind of heroic figures in the Republican community by reversing your results in the March Primary Elections - where you both finished in second place - and turning around and winning solid victories in the May 2009 General Election. In your case, you lost the primary to Angela Reddock by 72,000 votes, yet in the General Election in May you defeated her by over 24,000 votes. It was a stunning turnaround that not many had predicted. How did you do it? Mailers? Robo-calls? A team of coordinated supporters? Share with us the secrets of your success.

Well the secret to my success will cost you. (Kidding) Seriously though, I think with education we need to focus on education and cut out the politics that have eased its way in. I really got in this for the educational side more than the political side. I knew that raising money was important, but in the end we have to really focus on the students, their families and the tax payers. I have had such great support during my campaign and still do, and for that I am very grateful. I knew that if I just reached out to the public and addressed the concerns that they have, they would see that change was necessary and that I could become part of that change on the board. Although I continue to enhance my development, so far I feel that I have made great progress and I am definitely keeping in mind the people who brought me to this opportunity. I did not elect myself, but I know that those who casted their voted for me believe in my abilities and what I stand for.

3. Your victory in the election made you the youngest member of the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees. You were also the first Korean-American elected to this Board in its history. Your election made you somewhat of a celebrity back in Korea, and you were invited to do many publicity events and interviews over there. It has been a bit of a whirlwind for you. Share with us some of your experiences over there.

Since winning my election, I have been really under the spotlight in the Los Angeles community and also overseas in Korea. Since Korean-Americans have been in LA for so long and Korea-town is such apart of LA life, they were excited to see someone being brought out onto the political stage. Since then, SBS a Korean Network, filmed me for a special documentary called, “Two Days with Tina Park.” It aired in Korea and I was voted the Number 3 most searched individual on Naver, (the number one Korean search engine.) I also ranked the most popular political figures in Korea. I think the most amazing thing overseas was when I met the First Lady of Korea. She was so cute and sweet!!

4. I attended your swearing-in ceremony and enjoyed it very much. You gave a great speech. You even said a few words in Korean at the end to thank your family. Then you turned around and sat back in the audience with your family and supporters until the emcee said "Ummm....Tina? We need you up here on the Board of Trustees!" There were some giggles and a lot of nervous laughter from the audience as you walked back up to the stage and took your elected position. I am sure you were a little embarrassed, but I personally thought it was a very charming moment and showed that you were not a career politician. Do any of your friends and family tease you about that moment? Also, do you plan to seek higher elected office in the future here in Los Angeles?

People still talk about that moment, and it was quite funny. I would not say I was embarrassed, but definitely there was a feeling of realization that from this moment on, I would be responsible over the well being of our community.I am going to be frank and tell you that I am definitely not a career politician. Because of this, I believe I am more impartial to finding efficient ways to bridge the gap between education, the students, and our community.

5. You are young and female. It makes you stand out a little bit in the rough-and-tumble world of Los Angeles politics. I have heard at many political events that you already have quite a few secret admirers. One political activist went so far as to say "Tina Park is the number one sex symbol in Los Angeles politics." I thought that was quite a compliment. Do you care to respond or comment?

I am extremely flattered, because I have not heard anything like that. Who is this person?Please tell them thank you and I am very flattered. I think that with the right attitude and determination, you can have it all. These days we are so jaded and focused on the artificial and material things. Media and society focuses too much on beauty as being something of a physical quality, but to be beautiful is to be educated and all the while remembering to take care of yourself. Beauty is not only about focusing on your appearances, but about taking care of your person as a whole: mind, body, and soul. Inner beauty is much more precious than what we see on the outside. We need to constantly be renewing ourselves on the inside and eventually people will see your inner beauty much more clearly.

In a new article by Rick Orlov, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa shows disturbing signs of delusional thinking. Villaraigosa is quoted as saying that "I think this is one of the best years we've had".

A lot of the citizen voters here in Los Angeles would beg to differ.

Villaraigosa was re-elected in March by obtaining the votes of only 9% of the registered voters!

Businessman Rick Caruso is probably kicking himself daily realizing that for only a few million dollars, he could have beaten Villaraigosa and become Mayor. Even runner-up Walter Moore, who only spent 10% of what Villaraigosa spent on his campaign, would probably agree that a better funded opposition could have forced Villaraigosa out of office in the March 2009 election. Villaraigosa barely avoided a runoff facing underfunded opposition -- myself included -- whom most voters could not identify at the polls.

If Villaraigosa thinks that a 500 million dollar deficit and 1000 pot shops opening all over town is a good year, what would it take for him to admit that things were bad??

If Villaraigosa had any integrity at all, he would resign for hiring the pension commissioners who bungled their moves and lost all the pension money, creating a budgetary catastrophe that Los Angeles may not be able to recover from.

That happened on his watch. He is personally responsible.

He needs to be recalled and removed from office.

I don't think the City can survive three more years of him in charge.

It would only take a few million dollars to get him recalled. The signatures are a large number -- 240,000 -- but they are obtainable if someone will invest in the option.

Sometimes I feel like I am the only sane man left standing in Los Angeles.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Let me start off by saying that I think the American public is going to be very turned off by the Obama Administration by the time 2012 rolls around. High taxes, high unemployment and economic recession are usually a surefire way to get voted out of office. I think Barack Obama was only elected because voters in America were suffering from fatigue of the War in Iraq and blamed that on George W. Bush. I believe that President Barack Obama is probably the most dangerous and destructive President we have ever had. I believe voters will realize the mistake of electing a man who had no leadership experience whatsoever.

He has shown a repeated willingness to violate our Constitution.

He seems to be disinterested in fighting wars and defending our nation.

He has hired absolute and total lunatics like Van Jones and Cass Sunstein to be part of his administration.

Voters are watching and taking notes.

Having said that, let's get to the breakdown...

SARAH PALIN

The former Governor of Alaska has become a best-selling author with her new book "Going Rogue". The former Republican nominee for Vice President in 2008 has become the one true rock star of the Republican Party. She draws huge crowds and is mobbed everywhere she goes. She seems to have a huge lead on other candidates when it comes to obtaining the GOP Nomination for President in 2012. However, 2012 is still along way off and many things could change by then. But if she chooses to run...and I think she will...she will have a huge head start on other candidates by the fact that she continually draws massive amounts of the national media attention .

The big question about Sarah Palin has never been about about her appeal. That has always been obvious. She has an undeniable charisma that attracts people. She has won most of the elections she has ever been involved in. Many people from what the media dismissively refer to as "flyover states" see a lot of themselves in Sarah Palin. A hard working, tough, athletic girl from a small town who worked her way up the ladder to her phenomenal level of current success. She has huge pockets of support from the Evangelical voters because of her openness about her Christian faith. When it comes to the Right-To-Life voters.... Sarah Palin walks on water. She can do no wrong in their eyes because she doesn't just talk the talk...she walked the walk. Sarah Palin chose to have a child that she knew would have Down's Syndrome. There can be no stronger evidence of a commitment to life than that. If Sarah runs in 2012, she will have committed armies of Evangelicals and Right-To-Life activists marching around doing volunteer work for her campaign.

No, the big question about Sarah Palin has always been... can she win the election in 2012?

There are some in the GOP who are afraid of Sarah Palin. They are afraid she will obtain the nomination and then lose the election. I don't think Republican Party leaders need to worry about Sarah Palin. She has shown her Conservative beliefs and values and she has an undeniable appeal that the media and the left seem to fear.

She is quite genuine, and always expresses her love for this country, as opposed to Barack Obama, who often seems cool, detached, and uninterested in many American cultural issues.

If the country is in an economic shambles in 2012, many voters who voted for Obama will turn on him and throw him out. The GOP candidate will win regardless of who it is. I think Sarah Palin would win big in 2012 if economic indicators are still poor here in the United States.

Palin is the big favorite right now. She already has huge blocks of GOP voters locked up.

ODDS

2-1

MITT ROMNEY

If there is one candidate who was running for 2012 from the first minutes after the election of 2008, it is Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney has been traveling, campaigning for other candidates, and raising money for others. He has been building connections and relationships for future endorsements. He has a certain amount of the GOP locked up behind him as the leading candidate of their choice. Right now, the battle is between him and Sarah Palin.

The best-selling book "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell is a book about the rapid cognition that human beings make in the blink of an eye. In the book they tested peoples perceptual ability to make instant decisions. For example... if you were to arrange a lineup of photos of the 2012 candidates and asked uninformed people from another country "Which one of these men is the leader of his country?"...most of them would probably instinctively pick Romney.

The guy looks like a President. He acts like a President. He seems like a perfect fit.

So why does the prospect of Mitt Romney bother me so much?

His Mormon faith is something that I think is a subject that puts people off.

Many people don't understand Mormonism. Even many other Christians don't get it.

However, I think Americans are flexible and could accept a Mormon as President.

His legacy as being a former liberal is what bothers me.

I'm a convert to Conservatism myself and would never criticize another person for having formerly been registered with the wrong political party (Democratic) like I was.

But when Romney was Governor of Massachusetts he signed legislation that allowed the State to subsidize abortion. This type of information doesn't sit well with the Conservatives.

One of my close friends insultingly calls Mitt Romney "Mr. 50 Dollar Abortion" because of his actions in Massachusetts. I am not sure he can overcome this stigma. But it is possible.

He is a hard driving man who wants the nomination. I don't discount him.

He is a contender.

ODDS

3-1

RICK PERRY

One of the favorites for 2012 is a candidate that is not seen in the top photo of this article and he is also one that very few media outlets are talking about. Texas Governor Rick Perry became Governor in 2000 when George W. Bush resigned to take the office of President. He won re-election in 2002 and 2006 and is the second-longest serving sitting Governor in the United States. He recently announced plans to run for a third term in 2010 and is a heavy favorite in that election.

Perry, to me, is a real threat to the Democrats in 2012.

He is a tough, no-nonsense Texan. He uses his veto power frequently.

He is very pro-life and Christian and Conservative. Very pro-business and against Washington meddling.

He made some vague comments that some interpreted as talking about Texas succeeding from the United States. He has made comments that make his opposition to gay marriage quite clear. He couldn't be a better fit for the right.

He has Texas in great shape financially...Texas has an 11 billion dollar budget surplus under his watch.

He will be between elections in 2012, so he could run with very little fallout from his fellow Texans.

You are reading it here first at TJR....

If Rick Perry runs in 2012, he will be the next President of the United States.

ODDS

3-1

DICK CHENEY

The former Vice-President broke with tradition in 2008 and did not choose to run for President after spending eight years in the VP slot in Washington. Some liberals liked to comment that Cheney "had already served" eight years at the top spot, referring to his behind-the-scenes advisory activities at The White House.

Cheney declined to run because he had finished what he set out to accomplish. He knew the left loves to portray him as "Darth Vader" ... among other things. He didn't think his candidacy was right for the country in 2008. But that is not to say he won't ever return. He just won't do it in 2012.

He said he's out. He's not changing his mind.

Not his style.

ODDS

100-1

MIKE HUCKABEE

The former Governor of Arkansas ran for the Republican Nomination for President in 2008 and did reasonably well, but could not stop John McCain from capturing that nomination. He did capture primary victories in several states and built a name for himself for future runs. Unfortunately, all his hard work may have been undone recently with the news that a former convict from Arkansas, who had his sentence commuted by Huckabee, was the one responsible for a rampage that left four Police Officers dead in Washington state. This issue becomes kind of a "Willie Horton" thing for Huckabee and he knows that his future political opponents won't hesitate to use it. The issue makes him look soft on crime.

It is a shame because there are many things to like about Huckabee. He was previously a Southern Baptist preacher and his skill at storytelling and his comfort level in front of crowds make him a very charismatic figure. I have been very impressed with his public speeches on several occasions. His runs for the Presidency may be over due to this recent tragedy. However, I think he makes a very, very good choice as a Vice-Presidential candidate, which is what many of the candidates end up running for anyway.

ODDS

15-1

NEWT GINGRICH

If the Republican Party really wanted to make Barack Obamas life a living hell for the next three years, they would just give Newt Gingrich a few million dollars and tell him to declare himself as a candidate now. Gingrich has a way of launching the most scathing and insulting attacks of any politician I know. He is clever with his words to the point of them almost being a deadly weapon. And he is not shy about using them, either.

The former Speaker of the House has Republican credentials to admire. He originated the "Contract With America" and got most of it accomplished. On the other hand, he has some social issues ( a few divorces) and a few other black marks on his record also. But I generally regard him as one of the toughest possible candidates for Obama to face because he is such a stark contrast in terms when compared to the current President. But I think he would be facing long odds to get to the general election.

ODDS

20-1

BOBBY JINDAL

The young Governor is very popular in Louisiana and will probably be easily re-elected in 2011. There has been a buzz building around him for sometime, but some of the air went out of the balloon when he was chosen by the Republican Party to be their counterpoint and issue their response to President Barack Obamas State of The Union Address.

Jindals speech was a bomb. It was not interesting and his delivery style lacked charisma.

There is no way he could get past Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney in 2012.

But that is not to say he couldn't get there someday.

He is only 38 years old. He has time.

ODDS

70-1

TIM PAWLENTY

The Governor of Minnesota was the popular choice to be John McCains Vice-Presidential pick in 2008, but instead McCain went with Sarah Palin to shake things up and generate some heat for his campaign. Pawlenty has been elected Governor of Minnesota twice, but both times were by razor-thin margins, so it is unclear if he has the type of popularity needed to pull off a national campaign. He is probably better off being a Vice-Presidential pick at this point.

ODDS

50-1

"THE FIELD"

There are a wide variety of other candidates that could come along as a surprise in 2012. Congressman Ron Paul has a devoted following. Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi is sometimes mentioned. One of my personal favorites, Senator John Thune of South Dakota, would be a great choice, but he is little known outside of South Dakota. Some have even mentioned General David Petraeus as an option. Many things can happen between now and 2012. Some careers will rise and others will fall. But right now Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney have a big lead on the others. That is not to say that lead is insurmountable. But it looks pretty good right now.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Thank you for calling Paul Koretz an "ultra-liberal". As you are a former newsman, I've always respected your honesty.

The depiction of Krekorian over Essel as "the lesser of two evils" was very accurate. Very few people I knew were highly excited about the prospect of voting for either of them.

You have to admit that defeating Measure B was lucky. The Mayor "dumbed-down" the election by refusing to appear at a single campaign event with any opponents. The awful local media didn't even cover the election until the last two weeks. Turnout was horrific. If the Mayor had been facing a few well-funded candidates, the spillover from higher turnout probably would have pushed Measure B across the finish line.

I agree that the citizens need to target the 2011 election to try to regain control of this City, which is currently in the hands of madmen who, evidently, believe that City funds grow on trees.

It is UNACCEPTABLE that horrible officials like Jan Perry and Richard Alarcon were given a free pass and ran UNOPPOSED for their seats. City activists need to start branching out and being active with others neighborhoods.

Here are vote totals from 2007:

WENDY GREUEL 10,575

TOM LABONGE 8,486

TONY CARDENAS 4,803

RICHARD ALARCON 5,131

BERNARD C. PARKS 9,620

HERB J. WESSON, JR. 8,506

GREIG SMITH 14,749

JOSE HUIZAR 8,785

Are you kidding me? 9,000 votes to get rid of Huizar? 6,000 votes to get rid of Alarcon?? 5,000 votes to get rid of Cardenas!!???

This City needs to be re-taken from the corrupt people who run it now. I suggest Walter Moore in District 12. And I suggest David Hernandez move into either 6 or 14 and start making the rounds and getting to know people.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

In a very disturbing development, it appears that the GOP has been stuck with three candidates for Governor that most people in the party are not very fond of.

Meg Whitman, the former CEO of Ebay, is bringing a lot of money into the race, but she is looked on by most Conservatives with sneaking suspicion. She almost never voted before becoming a candidate and only became a Republican very recently. In my opinion, this should disqualify her from holding the top post in the State. However, the Party is a bit desperate for big-money candidates and it looks like the Party is ready to accept her and choose her.

Whitman is actually my last choice because she is not a Conservative.

She is a RINO.

I don't care for some of her stances, politically. However, she does come from a business background and if she becomes the Party nominee, I will reluctantly support her. I am hoping that another candidate can rise to the challenge and defeat her. I fear that a Whitman victory in the primary will guarantee a Jerry Brown victory in November.

Steve Poizner, the Insurance Commissioner, also has vast personal wealth and announced the other day he would be throwing $15 million of his own money into the race. Unfortunately, he may be doing this too late as most polls show him trailing badly in the single digits and Meg Whitman already garnering about 35% of GOP voter support.

Poizner is another RINO in this race who has political stances I don't agree with.

He has a few good ideas, but I don't think he can win the primary.

If he wanted to win, he should have thrown more money into this race earlier.

Tom Campbell is a former Congressman who has a lot of well-thought out ideas about how to save California.

I like the fact that he has won some awards for being fiscally responsible while serving in Congress.

We need leaders like that here in California.

However, Campbell also has some views that are not Conservative at all.

He talks about levying an expensive gasoline tax and he supports gay marriage.

I don't like hearing about either one of those ideas.

He is the third RINO in the race, but he is probably the least offensive to me.

It would still be difficult to support him, but I will do that if he is the choice.

I can't see any of these candidates beating Jerry Brown.

Brown could win on name-recognition alone, as he served two terms as Governor from 1974-1982.

I am hoping a new GOP candidate rises to meet the challenge of an election that seems pre-determined to put Jerry Brown back in the Governors Office.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Today the City Council is going to do more jibber-jabbering about medical marijuana and the pot shops.

I'm not a big fan of the shops, but as elected City Officials you have to make some real decisions!!

This might be the third or fifth or tenth time they've talked about it. It's very simple!

Either the pot shops are legal...or they are not! Don't dawdle. Pick one.

I don't care if it is the wrong one, but you have to make choices.

When you don't make theses choices, your incompetence allows others to make the decisions for you!!

Pot shop owners finally just decided that "**** it!..they can't make a decision! Let's open a new pot shop."

THAT is how the decisions are being made now...by default.

Same thing with the Billy the Elephant nonsense.

Six months of Soap Opera and fifteen meetings over one elephant! Are you serious?

Make the call! Build the elephant enclosure or don't... but for God's sake..make a choice.

The City of Los Angeles has a 7 billion dollar budget entrusted to people who are greedy, corrupt, and absolutely incompetent. Most of them have no business being entrusted with anything.

Jan Perry should be working at a KFC, not trying to ban new KFC locations from opening.

She has no business whatsoever being in charge of anything.

Public donations to pay for policing Michael Jacksons funeral??!! You cannot be serious!!

She came up with that lame-brained idea, along with the banning-fast-food concept.

Alarcon, with his historic levels of nepotism, belongs in jail.

So does Jose Huizar. From what I hear, Huizar is under Federal Investigation , so he might be the first one of the Council Members to wear the blaze orange.

Budget-Destroying Socialists Paul Koretz and Paul Krekorian came out of the criminal racket called the State Assembly. They have yet to be charged or indicted for any of their crimes against California taxpayers.

Herb Wesson wastes valuable city time with his "puppy show" trying to get animals adopted from shelters.

Touching, and heartfelt liberalism, that's for sure...but this is not the job of government!!

Fixing streets, repairing sewer lines and water pipes, managing payroll, controlling themselves when touching the City Treasury. These ARE the jobs of local government.

Instead they strangle the businesses that lay the golden eggs when it comes to local taxes and fees.

In the middle of the worst recession in 20 years, Mark Ridley-Thomas....or as I call him... Mark Ripoff Thomas decides to remodel his office at a cost of 700 grand to the taxpayers. Ridley Thomas is so amazingly arrogant that he defended his actions. He has no business being in public office with an attitude like that. His voters are voting for their own destruction by electing people like him. And yes, Betty Pleasant, I did say that.

Antonio Villaraigosa is another politician that belongs in jail.

Instead of working on the crisis here at home, he's flying halfway around the world to participate in the sham conference of Kool Aid drinkers who believe the world is going to melt in the next five years.

Remember that the next time a water pipe bursts in your neighborhood or you lose power for hours.

Our Mayor is busy out there saving the world.

If I had been elected Mayor of Los Angeles in March 2009, I was probably going to have Villaraigosa arrested and charged with fraud, theft, and embezzlement. His months spent campaigning for Hillary Clinton were not the job of doing the work of the people of Los Angeles. He was doing the work of being Antonio Villaraigosa, professional politician and con man. The excessive costs for his extracurricular activities during that campaign, charged to taxpayers, need to be recovered by the City. As it turned out, Hillary Clinton did not win the nomination, did not become President, and will probably never run again. So basically, all his activities and efforts and the money spent on that ludicrous chase for votes were wasted like a fart in the wind.

Unfortunately, we have no leaders in this City willing to take a stand against Villaraigosa.

That speaks volumes about the political situation here in Los Angeles.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

The City is 500 million dollars in the red and he's flying around the globe... taking trips to Iceland and South Africa, and now... to top it off... he's going to the nonsensical time-wasting conference of ultra-liberal control freaks who call themselves the "United Nations Climate Change Conference."

Yeah... I'm sure they'll save the world.

Instead of wasting time with politically-correct theories, Villaraigosa needs to have his rear end back in Los Angeles dealing non-stop with the immediate budget crisis.

During the election in March 2009, I attended a forum in the Valley where he talked about the crisis.

I wrote down a question that was asked by a moderator.

I asked him to name a single person he had fired.

He talked in vague terms about having fired several managers, but he couldn't name a single person.

In the future, that is not going to be a problem as the budget crisis reaches catastrophic levels.

He'll have to fire thousands of people.

Or, he can just keep taking foreign trips.

He can keep looking in other countries for places to buy for his future post-Mayoral residence.

That seems to be his only skill set - spending taxpayer money and delivering no results.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

If we are all still alive in 2013 - (remember, the Mayans predict very bad things in 2012) - there will be a spirited election to replace Antonio Villaraigosa as Mayor of Los Angeles.

2013 might seem like a long way off, but if this City wishes to repair the damage and destruction currently being wrought upon it by the incompetents on the City Council, then maybe a quick trip to the future will give voters some ideas on choices who might have the ability to repair the damage.

Breaking down the favorites....

RICK CARUSO

The wealthy developer toyed with the idea of running in 2009, and I am quite certain he regrets not entering the race. If he had dropped a few million dollars on the race, he probably could have beaten Villaraigosa in a blowout. As it turned out, the nine unknown and underfunded candidates held Villaraigosa to a 55-45 victory, severely damaging his career and ending his Gubernatorial hopes and dreams.

Caruso is going to be one of the top favorites should he decide to run.

One of his biggest assets will be his wealth, along with the fact that he is an outsider who is not currently an elected official. Most of the City Council Members who wish to run will be tainted by the stink of the budget crisis here in L.A., as most of them played a direct part in it.

ERIC GARCETTI

The Council President is also a top favorite. Garcetti has the right resumé to run for Mayor and be successful. He has a great education, served as a military officer, and his father was a famous politician here in L.A. for many years. These things all help. I have found Garcetti to be very personable and accommodating and he seems to avoid scandals. He will also be one of the top favorites in 2013, should he decide to run...which I think is already a given.

CARMEN "NUCH" TRUTANICH

"Nuch" Trutanich is currently the City Attorney and seems to be taking bold steps in Los Angeles.

The City is fighting and winning cases they previously would have given up on.

I freely admit to being a supporter of his and think the City would be a lot better off with him in charge, compared to the current occupant we have now.

TOM LABONGE

Tom LaBonge seems like a nice enough guy, but I worry about his mental sharpness. I've been to too many Council Meetings where he can't even keep track of what subject is being discussed or what they are voting on. He repeatedly asks to be told what subject they are discussing and what they are voting on. Garcetti never has to ask those questions. La Bonge might run, but I think his victory would be a bit unlikely.

JAN PERRY

I am hoping this is a prank...but no...it does indeed appear as though the Council Member I love to call "Comrade Jan Perry" wants to run for Mayor. I find this a rich source of humor. Perry has Communistic tendencies which would be totally destructive for this City. She tried to ban fast food in her own district, simply because she felt her voters were too fat, dumb, and stupid to make their own nutritional choices without supervision from her. She interfered in the Free Market and destroyed personal freedoms with one quick move. She has no business being Mayor, and she won't win. But I hope she does run. Great comedy in it.

Remember when she asked voters of the City to donate money to cover the costs of policing the corporate event funeral of one of the biggest selling recording artists of all time?

Classic.

WENDY GREUEL

The former Council Member that some like to call "The Pixie" had a decent year in 2009, winning an overwhelming election victory for City Controller. I am not really sure how competent Greuel is, but she seems to be well-liked by many people in the City. I think she would do reasonably well in a Mayoral Election, but she might want to sit this one out because the competition will be tough and she can easily win re-election as Controller if she doesn't make some type of royal screw-up while on the job. Her candidacy also takes some prestige loss by buddying around with the Mayor too much and her endorsed replacement Christine Essel getting a one-way ticket back to Paramount Pictures.

I am sure there are a few I have left out, but all these current politicos are tainted by the stench of the budget crisis, and if the City has to start firing thousands of employees and reducing services, then you can guarantee there will be voter anger and payback waiting at the polls in 2013.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Well, the candidate I supported in the City Council race in District 2 did not win.

A small tragedy for me, but a much larger tragedy for the City of Los Angeles.

We now have two budget-destroying Socialists named "Paul K" on the City Council. They will be sitting right next to each other for all of 2010 and monopolizing speech time with their ultra-liberal, holier-than-thou nonsense.

The mere thought of it is almost too much to bear.

There were many lessons to be learned in this election, and I am as fully aware of them now as I was before the election went off.

1. Paul Krekorian is still a Socialist.

He may now also be a Los Angeles City Council Member , but it doesn't change who he is.

A man who believes in the ultimate power of the State over the individual.

You can call him a Democrat, SEIU member , AFSCME member, whatever. It's all the same.

All people who get their results by threat and by force.

If you think he's some type of improvement or victory for L.A. , you're wrong. Dead wrong.

2. Krekorians results in this election are highly suspicious.

Essel campaign forces need to ask for a list of 2009 newly registered voters in CD 2 and compare it to previously registered voters in the Burbank/Glendale area. I might be wrong about this, but this is just what the far left does. It is how Barack Obama became President. He bussed thousands of people from Chicago to go vote in the Iowa Caucuses. Think about it... how could the Registrar-Recorder prevent a few thousand people from re-registering in CD 2 just for this election? The answer? They probably couldn't.

3. Christine Essel should have started her political career with a different race.

One thing that always worried me about Christine was that she appeared to have no base. Most candidates can tell voters that they were a Veteran or a political party activist or something relevant to the contest. Christine said she was a business woman and a former movie company exec, but that didn't seem to be a political groundwork to me. She had no deep connections to the community. Tamar Galatzan smacked her hard during a forum when she shouted "I have never seen you at any community events!" .

The accusation stung because it was true.

But attending a lot of local events sure didn't help long-time political scenesters like Tamar and Mary Benson and Pete Sanchez from getting clocked by Chris in the primary. It appears that money can buy you publicity, but it can't buy you love.

I think Christine Essel is a nice lady and I supported her based more out of my dislike of Paul Krekorian than based on any of her core philosophies. She seems like a nice enough and likable lady, but she didn't seem to have any people who hated her or any people who were fanatical supporters. She didn't seem to arouse strong feelings from anyone. That worried me. In politics, you need passion.

4. The fanatical supporters of Paul Krekorian turned out to vote and made a difference.

Yes, as much as I mocked the Kool-Aid drinking crowd up in Sunland-Tujunga, led by the awful cheerleading team of Michael Higby and Joe B.... they did, indeed, turn up and volunteer and walk precincts and call people and got out the vote. Congrats to them. They wanted the win and they got it. They had a superior game plan and they achieved superior results. And I have probably signed up for a verbal ass-whipping every time I set foot in Sunland-Tujunga for the rest of my life.

5. John Shallman is over-rated as a campaign consultant and takes much of the blame for this loss.

Shallman did something that I consider to be idiotic. He lazily tried to use the US Mail as a weapon. He bombarded voters with mailer after mailer...most of them hit pieces going after Krekorian, but eventually voters reached a "saturation point". They didn't want to hear or see any more of it. His continual onslaught turned many voters against her. Christine Essel should have spent all her time - 100% of it - going door-to-door and calling voters personally. A personal visit is an extremely powerful weapon. Most voters didn't know either candidate personally. In an election like this where you only needed a few thousand votes, the personal touch is what is needed. Shallman ran this disaster like it was a national campaign. Christine Essel has a charming personality that I feel was an unused weapon in this battle.

The emails I got from voters saying that someone had talked with them personally or touched them in some way that moved them? Yeah... they were all going for the Big Socialist.

6. The IBEW and PPL compounded the error by repeating Shallmans mistake.

Yeah, thanks guys! Just what Christine needed ...for IBEW and PPL to bombard the voters with even more mailers at a time when voters were getting fed up about it. Lack of coordination of efforts caused this.

Here's a rhetorical question for Shallman and the IBEW/PPL :

How do you spend over a million dollars on a City Council race...and lose!!??

7. Endorsements really don't matter very much.

Voters are smart enough to choose a candidate that they like. They liked Krekorian a little more than they liked Essel. Wendy Gruel's endorsement meant nothing. Ditto Richard Riordan and half the current City Council.

8. My political instincts are good. I can continue to trust them.

I wasn't happy about the way the Essel campaign was going. I talked about this with my new friend Tamar Galatzan. Here is a line from an email I sent her on December 3rd.

"I am supporting Christine Essel, but if I had to make a prediction, I would say Tuesday goes off at 54-46 for Krekorian.

Christine has to hope her money can drive non-traditional voters to the polls, but that usually doesn't happen."

Go ahead and ask Tamar if I said that. I did.

9. Paul Krekorian supporters are not humble!

Man, I had to turn my phone off last night, it got so bad.

If Christine Essel had won, I would not have said a word about it.

Her victory would not have stopped the creeping advance of Socialism, but it wouldn't have accelerated it like Paul Krekorian, either.

10. Krekorian is probably in for 14 years. I have to deal with that.

None of his former challengers is going to want to take him on again if Christine Essel spent a million bucks and still lost. For CD 2's sake, here's hoping some appealing Congressional or State Senate seat opens up for Paul.

Disturbing developments in Los Angeles last night as Socialists seized yet another City Council seat.

Personal freedom and free-market capitalism took a serious blow as Paul Krekorian was elected to Los Angeles City Council. He will now have a seat and a voice in Los Angeles politics.

The death spiral continues.

Low quality schools, loss of jobs, industries leaving the State, and higher taxes are pretty much guaranteed for Los Angeles residents in the near future. Los Angeles will begin to resemble Detroit eventually.

Delusional supporters of Krekorian (many of them from Sunland-Tujunga) felt that this was actually something to celebrate about. Luckily, they were heavily supplied with plenty of Kool Aid for what should be a very busy week for them.

In contrast, angry supporters at the Chris Essel party wanted to know how many residents of Burbank and Glendale had re-registered to vote in CD 2 recently. The Essel campaign probably should have thought about that before December 8th. It would seem that checking the voter rolls in both areas and comparing them might have been a smart move.

Krekorian supporters were all too happy to taunt Essel supporters last night. One hopes that they save room for a little crow when Krekorian gives them the middle finger to jump ship and run for a different office.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Paul Krekorian today will seek to become a member of a new gang. You probably know them.

The "Spring Street 15."

They usually have 15 members, but they are temporarily down one member because Wendy Greuel made it to the "getaway car" last March along with Commandante Villaraigosa, who was chosen to be the Head Sancha Collector for the next four years here in Los Angeles.

Some of the "Spring Street 14" have been in mourning for a while. One of their little homies, Jack Weiss, didn't make it to the getaway car. He was mercilessly wiped out in a hail of ballots on March 3rd by a group from the far South side. A much tougher group that decided to play by "San Pedro Rules". Life in the big city can be very cruel sometimes.

*******************

Later this evening there will be tears in the San Fernando Valley.

One candidate will win, the other will lose.

Mayor Sam can finally move on to talking about other subjects.

In one of the most interesting conversations I had about this election, former Mayoral Candidate and former CD 2 Candidate Zuma Dogg told me something that was eerily accurate.

I laughed about it at the time, but I think more and more about it every day.

He said....(and I'm probably not getting this 100% right because it was a while ago)... that "getting out of the State Assembly is a lot like getting released from the California Prison System."

"If you are not a hardened criminal when you go in, you certainly are by the time you get out."

Quote of the year from Zuma Dogg there.

He went on to expand on this concept.

"You become hardened. You don't care about other people anymore. You only care about yourself and your gang. Taking other peoples money becomes second nature..."

Amen to that, ZD.

Look at all the former Assembly Members we have on the "Spring Street 15". Looting the City Treasury seems to be second nature for them. Their natural-born instincts for discerning right from wrong no longer exist.

Here's hoping that voters in the San Fernando Valley put an end to Paul Krekorians life of crime.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

I promised my exposé and new commentary in this last piece on the upcoming Special Election for the seat in District 2 on the Los Angeles City Council. And here it is....

PAUL KREKORIAN : UNFIT FOR OFFICE

I believe that Paul Krekorian is unfit for the office of Los Angeles City Councilman. In fact, I think he is unfit for all elective offices. I suggest voters avoid him at the ballot box. Here are the reasons. They are indisputable, even by his cult-like following.

1. Paul Krekorian is a self-centered egomaniac.

Paul Krekorian is a career politician who has ruthlessly burned all his former voters and constituents by abandoning jobs that he had asked them to elect him to. If any of you wish to dispute this...go ask his voters in Burbank how great he did during his term on the Burbank School Board. Only..he didn't finish that term...he bailed out to run for State Assembly. For those of you who think he's such a great Assemblyman, why is he parachuting out of that job only a few months after winning re-election?? Because he saw an opportunity. That's why. He has even said this publicly. So when it comes to Paul Krekorian...he only wants to be your City Councilman until he sees a better job open up. Then you will get the middle finger salute from him as he races off to serenade some other gullible voters in yet another district. Paul will say and do anything to get elected to any position he seeks. That is exactly the type of candidate you need to avoid.

2. Paul Krekorian is a budget-destroying Socialist.

Krekorian faced voting decisions on over 6000 different pieces of legislation during his time in the State Legislature, with a vast majority of them being spending bills. With a few rare exceptions, Paul Krekorian never met a spending bill he didn't like. Because of his harmful voting record, California now faces a massive and record budget shortfall. His fiscal irresponsibility while in Sacramento endangers all citizens and their futures here in California. This is not the type of government we need.

3. Krekorians Socialist ideology makes him a job-killer and economy-destroyer.

Well intentioned, but short-sighted liberals who are in charge in the California Statehouse have decided that their liberal ideologies are so important that they are more important that the financial survival of California. Liberal Democrats have continued to over-regulate, over-tax, and over-spend, creating the devastating economic conditions we now face here in California. Here are several direct quotes from Krekorian that he made during this campaign for City Council.

"We need to reduce waste that goes into streams."

"We need to improve elections."

"We will never have enough inspectors."

Translation: Paul Krekorian and the liberal Democrats in power in Sacramento will never be happy until they can create laws to organize and dictate every single facet of your life for you. In their twisted minds, there is only one correct opinion... theirs. Businesses have responded to these threats to their existence by leaving California in large numbers and taking jobs with them.

For California to have a brighter economic future, career politicians like Krekorian need to be removed from positions of power.

4. Krekorian lacks the mental and emotional constitution needed for political office.

Paul has a bad habit of portraying himself as some type of "victim" of others. Krekorian has spent nearly half of his campaign for City Council whining about the fact that Christine Essel has outraised and outspent him in this campaign. Krekorian also made himself appear ridiculous when he called police because someone took a photo of his residence. Paul went on to write a delusional, troubling letter, in which he stated that his fantasies were indeed, fact, and he went on to accuse Christine Essel of stalking him.

Early in the campaign, Krekorian launched into a profanity-laced tirade at the City Clerks Office, when it became clear that he would not be receiving preferential treatment to get his papers filed early before he had finished his City-required Ethics training. My article on this on the Mayor Sam blog was disputed and questioned, but has since been confirmed by eyewitnesses.

Far worse than being an ultra-liberal, Paul Krekorian is a Statist, who believes in the ultimate power of the State to use force on individuals. He has made this clear repeatedly through his voting record in Sacramento and through his behavior, statements and ideologies. Watch this disturbing video in which he says "Across the board budget cuts are unfair...they are unwise" - because he is controlled by the SEIU and AFSCME and other Socialist unions who depend on ripping off the taxpayers and the government for their very existence.

He believes that the government has the right to expand without end at an unlimited cost to taxpayers.

This is a very dangerous type of person to elect to office.

Krekorian also participated in several forums during the campaign in which other candidates were not only excluded, but they were threatened with expulsion for being present. Instead of showing the dignity, honor, and grace to excuse himself from these activities, Paul Krekorian happily participated in these events -- where others were having their freedom to participate in the democratic process of an election stripped from them.

Because Paul showed his callous disregard for the freedoms of other candidates and the freedom of voters to hear the opinions of other candidates, Paul has revealed his true character.

He doesn't give a damn about anyone else's freedom...as long as he gets what he wants.

Because of this, Paul Krekorian is a Dangerous Enemy Of Freedom.

Voters who believe he would somehow stand up and protect their individual freedoms are sadly mistaken.

Full disclosure: I am supporting Christine Essel in the upcoming election.

I do not believe that Christine Essel is a perfect, or unflawed candidate, but I am supporting her specifically because Paul Krekorian is such an awful and dangerous candidate.